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Cy comance le livre tressalutaire de la ymitacio[n] Jhesu christ [et] mesprisement de ce monde.

Accession number
PML 54689.1
Object title

Cy comance le livre tressalutaire de la ymitacio[n] Jhesu christ [et] mesprisement de ce monde.

Uniform title
Imitatio Christi. French
Published

Imprime a Tholose : par maistre henric mayer, lan de grace .Mil.cccc.lxxxviii. et le .xxviii. iour de May [28 May 1488].

Description

[1], xxxi, xvii, lxxi, xxviii, [6] leaves : illustration (woodcut) ; 19.5 cm. (4to)

Credit line
Purchased in 1964.
Notes
Title from caption, leaf a2r.
Imprint from colophon, leaf D9v: Cy finist le livre dela ymitacion ihesu christ. et mesprisement de ce monde. imprime a Tholose par maistre henric mayer alama[n] lan de grace .Mil.cccc.lxxxviii. Et le .xxviii. iour de May.
Printed in Mayer's types 3:71G, 4:135G, and 5:116G.
Signatures: a-p⁸; A-C⁸ D¹⁰: 152 leaves, leaf D10 blank.
Paper format: Chancery quarto.
Woodcut of man praying to Christ carrying the cross on leaf a1v.
CIBN describes a variant.
On the attribution to Thomas à Kempis see A. Ampe, L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ et son auteur (Roma, 1973) and R.R. Post, The Modern Devotion (Leiden, 1968) pp. 520-536 (CIBN).
PML copy leaf dimensions: 19 x 13 cm.
Binding
19th-century French full red morocco over paper boards (19.5 x 14 cm.), sewn on 5 supports by Chambolle-Duru. Marbled paper pastedowns and endleaves, with plain paper endleaves; decorative endbands; gilt edges.
Variant title
Ymitacion Jhesu Christ
Inscriptions/Markings
Hand decoration: Contemporary alternating red and blue initials and paragraph marks (same as in PML 54689.2). Annotations: No marginal notations in text.
Provenance
H.P. Kraus, cat. 98 (1964), no. 35; Pierpont Morgan Library, purchased from Kraus, Dec. 1964.
Classification
Century
Department